Archive for category abs pictures

When I first started this site, it was about wanting my own six pack. I learned about it, wrote about it and exercised. I publicly stated this goal to help motivate myself. I posted pictures as inspiration, including some of Cristiano Ronaldo, world-famous soccer star.

Now he is posting his own on Instagram. Here are some thoughts one columnist wrote:

“Ronaldo is another celebrity, then, determined to take charge of his own celebrity, knowing that his body is the commodity that requires the most diligent selling. He has his own underwear line, CR7, and is opening a five-star hotel Friday—what timing to be all over the tabloids flashing his six-pack!—in his native Funchal in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira.

“Ronaldo, like David Beckham, another proud “spornosexual,” knows that his career with Real Madrid and Portugal’s national team—which just won its first European championship—can only last so long.

“He knows he is a brand and that his body is central to that brand. And so it comes out regularly, like a shopping display, whether to sell underwear or rooms in as smart new hotel.”

Ah the trials and tribulations of those who know that beauty and health and youth is so fleeting…

Here is an article about Kayla Itsines, who may be “Instagram’s biggest fitness star.” She has 4.9 million followers, many of whom show their transformations of weight loss and muscle building. Kayla cheers them on with motivational sayings, fitness and diet advice and personal anecdotes. I love the article’s reference to “photos of her abs, the definition of her six-pack so sharp you could cut yourself on it.”

So check out her Instagram feed and also the women who are taking Kayla’s body-changing advice:

I also like this story from an Australian magazine that describes how Kayla’s fame began:

When Kayla Itsines’ younger cousin suggested she download an app called Instagram to keep track of her clients’ progress photos, she didn’t think much of it.

Fast forward to the present and she’s Australia’s most popular personal trainer and is taking the fitness world by storm.

Itsines’ success came initially from her Bikini Body Guide eBook — and with newly released app Sweat With Kayla, she doesn’t look like she’s stopping any time soon.

“It all started when I graduated from the Australian Institute of Fitness in 2009 — my first job as a personal trainer was in a women’s-only personal training centre,” she says.

Kayla with adoring fans

“The women there were lacking confidence and weren’t concentrating on how they felt as much as how they looked — I really tried to change that.”

When Ms Itsines went solo and started her mobile personal training business, she began uploading her clients’ progress photos to Instagram — and followers began asking if she could help them in different States.

“I just said unfortunately I couldn’t because I was in Adelaide,” she says.

“I met Tobi (Pearce, Itsines’ partner) and he said ‘The way you train is unique, why don’t you create a guide for them?’

“I was just like ‘Oh, nah, I don’t think anyone would buy it’. As I retell the story I kick myself.”

But make the guide she did and as more people bought the Bikini Body Guide and started following Ms Itsines, the more her influence grew.

It’s obvious she isn’t as concerned with being famous as she is with helping people with their health and fitness, though — and women gaining confidence is her number one priority.

“I love helping people in general, it’s just what I do,” she says.

“I’m really trying to get rid of that whole fad and diet approach and concentrate instead on how people feel. I want to give them a maintainable and sustainable lifestyle they can have forever.”

Ms Itsines names her world tour as the highlight of the journey so far.

“My favourite experience was London because I couldn’t see the girls before I came out — I got to open these double doors and they were all standing in front of me,” she says.

“It was an amazing experience.”

Perhaps most importantly, Ms Itsines is staunch in her opinion about fad diets — she advocates a lifestyle change for her clients which will last a lifetime.

“I want clients to feel good about themselves — that’s something I try and bring across,” she says.

“I want to get the girls feeling better, rather than always focusing on what they look like.”

Brittany Martinez has three kids and also one big ab…like many women who work out, but don’t have the definition men’s bodies display. Nevertheless, her mid-section looks great. She is an event coordinator who was a house guest on the Big Brother TV show.

I found this photo in a gallery prepared by CBS to promote its TV stars and guests. I am always amazed and amused that abs are singled out, even when there aren’t any. So many of these photo collections just show flat stomach areas. I can’t understand why that qualifies for anything. Some of the choices are actually pudgy!

But at my stage and age, I feel I can be picky. Making abs takes lots of work and commitment. It’s very difficult. Why should we applaud abs that are so covered up as to be invisible?

By the way, below is one of the half dozen photos from the gallery of 30 that shows some abs. See the difference in men! Many of the others are going to make you laugh at what they are not showing. Just hype to promote their peeps.

Tim Howard, a star goalkeeper for Everton and the US international soccer teams, was chosen by charity PETA to front their new “Ink not Mink” campaign. Clever headline. Look at those abs and other muscles bulging out of those incredible tattoos.

Howard was Man of the Match twice in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Games. PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

“Protecting animals is very important to me, and I think speaking out against fur is an amazing cause”, Tim said.

“When I see someone wearing fur, I just want to sit them down in front of one of PETA’s videos and show them just how badly animals suffer for this supposed fabric that no one needs.”

Tim has a reputation for playing through pain. In September 2007 he accepted a call-up from the United States for a friendly against Brazil, and after an hour of the game his finger was dislocated in a collision. In March 2013, during an FA Cup game against Oldham Athletic he broke two bones in his back. In both incidents, he continued playing until the final whistle. Makes mentioning my little aches definitely embarrassing.

Jennifer Lopez’s abs made an appearance in West Hollywood, California. The singer was spotted pulling a tank top over her purple sports bra and black leggings outside the gym.

In May, Lopez revealed she tried the 22-day vegan diet that Beyonce and Jay Z completed last year.

“I did the vegan 22-day plan and it was really good, and I kept on with it for a few more weeks and now I’ve incorporated a little bit of fish here and there,” she told Ryan Seacrest. “But I’ve got to tell you, I enjoy it. I enjoy eating that way. I never did and I didn’t know how good you can feel when you put healthy stuff in your body. I was so used to just eating the way I grew up.”

Rincon, a stray dog from Puerto Rico, was rescued by model Julian Schratter when he was visiting the island. Schratter brought the animal home to Brooklyn, New York, where he and his roommates, also models, decided to have a little fun with their new furry friend.

They created an Instagram account for Rincon under the handle, rincon_da_bully. The page, which features shots of the handsome pup along with his hunky friends, quickly gained popularity, and after just four months, boasts almost 19,000 followers.

This is pure silliness in the midst of an ongoing feud between Sean Hannity and Stephen Colbert. Sean has lost 30 pounds and explains how he did it with a program of street martial arts, including “blade and firearms training.” Stephen makes tremendous fun of it, including an image showing how using your trigger finger can give you a six pack! Go right to 1:49 to see the mockery begin.

Two brothers, now ages 10 and 8, work out two hours a day under their father’s supervision. The video above is three years old. The one below is more recent. Check out Giuliano’s abs!

Here is the Wikipedia story on the elder brother.

Giuliano Stroe (born July 18, 2004) is a Romanian gymnast who has been lifting weights and learning gymnastics since he was two years old in Florence, Italy where his family lived. They now live in Romania again. In 2009, he was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records after setting the record for the fastest ever ten metre (33 feet) hand-walk with a weight ball between his legs. Stroe performed the stunt in front of a cheering live audience on an Italian TV show, and has become an internet sensation as hundreds of thousands of people have watched the clip of him performing the stunt on YouTube.

On February 24, 2010 he broke the world record for the number of 90 degree push-ups, which is an exercise where push-ups are performed without letting your feet touch the ground. Stroe managed 20 90 degree push-ups beating his previous record of 12, live on Romanian TV.

Giuliano’s father, Iulian, said he has been taking Giuliano with him to the gym ever since he was born, but he is careful not to push Giuliano too hard. Stroe insists his son’s workout schedule is not excessive. “He is never allowed to practice on his own, he is only a child and if he gets tired we go and play,” Iulian said.

Giuliano says his newfound celebrity has not gone to his head. He adds that he still does normal nine-year-old activities like watching cartoons and painting.

Who would have predicted that midriffs exposed by the latest crop top fashion styles would be sending women to gyms in droves. Sweat and pain is the passport to wearing these fancy clothes, and here is an article describing some of the goings on. Obviously I am partial to nicely defined abs, and I think it’s about time everyday women were after some definition as well. After all, misery loves company, and when I think of all the pain men go through to look attractive to women, why shouldn’t the females have to put in a little extra effort to look good for the men…only kidding, only kidding. I know how hard the female gender works to look sensational…

“Midriffs are suddenly in America’s face,” writes Shivani Vora in her piece titled The Time of the Tummy. “The stomach is the new erogenous zone, but not in a vulgar sort of a way,” one fashion commentator said. “Yes, you can show your whole midsection in a bra top, but most of the styles only give you a peek. Regardless, it is making women frenzied about shaping up their abs.”

The 5-foot, 115-pound Jewlie Williams, another fashionista, for example, spends more than two hours most days of the week exercising in stomach-centric classes like Ab Attack (Crunch offers three others as well), running and dancing. Her day begins and ends with 100 crunches, she said, and she has drastically cut down on her sugar intake.

“I bought six crop tops, but I felt like I needed tighter and flatter abs to feel good wearing them,” she said, “so I’ve been working really, really hard to get them better-looking.”

Sandra Ciconte, an already-slender 5-foot-6, has embarked upon a six-day-a-week routine that includes two private sessions with at Core and a 20-minute floor routine by herself on other days.

Dr. Michele Olson, an exercise physiologist at Auburn University, stressed that cardio intervals such as alternating sprinting with walking are the first step to a six-pack. “You need to have less fat over all to have firm abs,” she said, “not do hundreds of crunches or situps.”

It’s lonely at the top. Ask these two moms who posted post-pregnancy photos of themselves that created firestorms. Both are passionate about health and fitness, one has a fitness non-profit and the other is a fitness blogger. I am guessing they were challenging their viewers and followers to get or stay in better shape, and not use pregnancy as an excuse to go soft forever. But their efforts really backfired. It’s a shame that successful people in all fields are often envied, create jealousy and are scorned for their achievements. But that is show biz and human nature.

First Californian and fitness enthusiast Maria Kang generated hate mail from women who thought she was a bully rather than an inspiration, when she posted the photo to the right. Later she wrote, “(One letter) said I should be ashamed of myself and that I should take down my Facebook profile picture. It said I’m a shame to women. It was deep and hurtful.”

In what she called her “First and Final Apology,” Kang posted on Facebook September 25 that she was “sorry” her haters “took an image and resonated with it in such a negative way.”

“I won’t go into details that I struggled with my genetics, had an eating disorder, work full time owning two business, have no nanny, am not naturally skinny and do not work as a personal trainer. I won’t even mention how I didn’t give into cravings for ice cream, french fries or chocolate while pregnant or use my growing belly as an excuse to be inactive,” she wrote. You can read more on her blog.

she delivered a baby just three days earlier

Then Caroline Berg Eriksen, who is the wife of soccer player Lars-Kristian Eriksen and has the biggest fitness blog in Norway, posted a photo showing off her chiseled body and washboard abs just three days after delivering her baby.

“During the pregnancy, people kept telling me that my body will never be the same and I wanted to show everybody that’s not entirely true,” Berg Eriksen, 26, said.

Berg Eriksen says she was amazed at how fast her body bounced back after gaining 22 pounds. Though she hasn’t worked out since giving birth, she says the purpose of the picture wasn’t to be cruel.

“I think all women should be proud of themselves, regardless of how they look after labor,” she explained.

Next the first mom above, Maria Kang, posted a picture of herself after SHE delivered a baby:

I hesitate to tell you that I did not know about Usher and don’t know any of his songs. It’s painful some times to know so much…and know so little. But at least I am still learning…

Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. Usually known by his first name only, Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, “Nice & Slow”.

The RIAA ranks Usher as one of the best-selling artists in American music history, having sold over 23 million copies in the United States alone. To date, he has sold over 65 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling music artists of all time. Usher has won numerous awards including eight Grammy Awards. At the end of 2009, Usher was named the number one Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade. Billboard named him the second most successful artist of the 2000s decade, with his 2004 album Confessions being ranked as the top solo album of the 2000s decade. Billboard also placed Usher at number six on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years. Usher has attained nine Hot 100 number-one hits (all as a lead artist) and has attained eighteen Hot 100 top-ten hits.

She looks familiar and might be famous. But my friend Rudy sent me her picture in a slideshow about the rise and fall and rise again of Miami Beach, Florida, where we both grew up.

Although I usually look at abs first…especially on women, believe it or not…I also noticed her fur coat in the sun. I remember as a kid seeing old women tourists in the 80+ degree heat wearing mink coats, sitting on the curb, while waiting for a bus. People sure are funny!

Here is another actor who has the ability to gain or lose dozens of pounds and create abs each time he is lighter. Chris Pratt was in Zero Dark Thirty and wanted to look good when he was hanging out with Navy Seals. Right after that, he gains 60 pounds for a role in Starbucks. Then six months later he is Mr. Six Pack again to play a super hero in Guardians of the Galaxy.

How do these people do this, when it is almost impossible for most people to lose even 10 pounds? Makes you wonder about will power and the motivational influence of being on screen and earning money. Maybe the solution to the obesity epidemic is to film everyone who is overweight and post their bodies in bathing suits on public billboards!

Chris BEFORE he gained 60 lbs

Here is Chris before he gained the weight.

The “Parks and Recreation” funny man showed off his massive six-pack during an appearance on “Conan.” Pratt displayed his toned abs by flaunting an iPhone photo of himself standing in front of a mirror flexing while wearing only boxer-briefs.

Pratt said his six-pack is the result of getting in shape for his role as a Navy SEAL in Kathryn Bigelow’s upcoming Osama bin Laden takedown film, “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Chris AFTER gaining the weight

are those abs still under there?

To play a lawyer in the comedy flick Starbuck, the 33-year-old actor was asked to put on a significant amount of weight.

“I gained 60 pounds in about four and a half months. I just did it the old fashioned way: eating and drinking my face off,” Pratt shared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Dec. 10. “I’ve lost a little bit of it, but it was hard. It was probably just as hard as losing weight. You wouldn’t believe it, but it is. It’s these same principle: It’s all about pain.”

showing off his abs again 60 pounds lighter

After gaining all that weight, the 34-year-old actor underwent a physical transformation for his part in the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy” film. Pratt, who stars in the sci-fi movie, showed off his ripped body this week, taking to Instagram to post a shirtless photo of himself.Pratt attributed the transformation to six months without beer, hashtagging “GOTG” to confirm that the makeover is for the superhero film.

This isn’t the first time Chris, who stars in the sitcom, “Parks and Recreation,” has drastically transformed his physique. In 2011, Chris lost 30 pounds for the drama “Moneyball” and then, shortly afterward, gained 50-60 pounds for the comedy “Ten Year.”

“I went from 220 pounds that I cut down for ‘Moneyball’ to almost 270-280 pounds for ‘Ten Year,’ ” he said. “I gained like 50 pounds to play this fat, alcoholic character. I would drink dark beer every night.

“I would have a double order of pancakes every morning. Burgers for lunch. Fries, snacks, candy. I ballooned my weight up. It was probably very unhealthy, but it was so fun.”

Pretty impressive that he has so much control of his weight. Lots of discipline showing here!

I love how the media exaggerates. Can you picture the “jaws dropping?” But she is one of the few women who really has abs…and a great figure as well for a 41-year-old with two kids. Jada Pinkett Smith also has a blog that encourages daily exercise. So we are in total agreement about that.

Jada Pinkett Smith showed off her amazing bikini body while in Hawaii over the weekend, causing jaws to drop far beyond the Aloha State.

Smith flaunted her toned physique and washboard abs in a white bikini with rainbow piping while taking surfing lessons Friday. She was photographed smiling while walking on the beach and wading on her board in the water.

The 41-year-old was also seen paddleboarding with her husband, Will. The two are currently on vacation with their children Willow and Jaden for some downtime following promotions for Will and Jaden’s flick, “After Earth.”

The super fit mama has said her favorite arm exercise is a simple pushup. She advised Facebook fans to try out different variations of the exercise—like with hands in a triangle or arms wide with the hands turned out—and incorporate the workout into daily activities.

“Do some kind of physical activity every day or every other day. Do what you love with a lot of determination to reach your personal physical goals,” she wrote on her page in April. “Remember, beauty is all about how you feel about YOU, no matter color, shape or size.”

Here is a salad dressing ad that is using beefcake, rather than cheesecake, to sell product. Pretty low end way for me to show a guys abs being exploited. The article says that a women’s group finds it offensive, but other readers are happy to see men being treated as sex objects to sell goods the same way women’s bodies have been used for generations. What do you think?

Here is a picture created by retailer Abercrombie & Fitch to sell clothes. I noticed the abs, before I paid attention to the jackets. Shows you where my values lie. But much more interesting is the whole A&F “scandal.” The company targets thin, beautiful customers who want to be cool. Some activist groups insist that the company should manufacture and sell clothes to all shapes and looks of people and have criticized the company’s strategy as being discriminatory. The CEO made some dumb statements reinforcing his position, and an internet debate is off and running. Seems to me the company can sell to any slice of the market they prefer. You can’t ask Ferrari to make cars for middle-income people. But the world loves controversy.

The slide show of over 120 female celebrities on the beach promised great bodies, bikinis and ABS! But only two of the women had any definition at all. Maybe movie stars and singers just don’t work on their stomach muscles. Or it’s genetically too difficult to create any cuts. Someday I should look for professional female athletes to see what their abs look like as a group.

Mindless, but interesting. A nice change of pace from contracts and other responsibilities…

Shemar Franklin Moore is an American actor and former fashion model. His most notable roles are that of Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless from 1994 to 2005, Derek Morgan on CBS’s Criminal Minds from 2005 to present, and as the third permanent host of Soul Train from 1999 to 2003.

I never heard of him, but his abs caught my eye. Abs are teaching me a great deal about pop culture. Time to do a few crunches!

For all those who justify not going to the gym by saying it is impossible to get in shape after 50:
Apparently, it’s not.

This picture was posted on Reddit last night by CrazyDrummer, with a simple caption: “60 years old.”

The picture has already received 1,596 comments, 744,298 views and the admiration of some commenters in the Reddit community.

“That’s not fair. He has dad and grandpa strength,” said ISwearThisIsOriginal.

“Santa only works 1 day out of the year. The other 364? He lifts,” commented BOMPendragon 228.

While we can’t tell if this ripped bod came from lifting or Photoshop, this is not the first time the Internet has been amazed by incredibly fit post-50 bodies. In August many were in awe over world’s oldest female body builder Ernestine Shepherd, and in October we met then vegan bodybuilder Jim Morris, both in their 70s.

Back in town after two weeks in Kyoto, Japan. Too busy sightseeing and visiting my son to write here as well, but I did some exercise every single day…even when I was traveling 20+ hours to/from the continents. Now 402 continuous days of some exercise in addition to tennis or five miles of walking around Kyoto. Loved the hotel gym.

The Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine shown above is made up of over 10,000 vermillion “gates” called torii that are set so close to each other they form 2 1/2 miles of tunnels. They are donated by businesses hoping for wealth and good luck. I couldn’t resist posing in this colorful backdrop in spite of the cool, damp weather. The locals just assumed I was a typical crazy American stripping to the waist in low 40’s temperatures.

It’s been awhile since I showed some abs. I’m glad that I still have a few cut lines, though my more modest workouts are not building any muscle. Doing the daily exercises at all is a source of great pride, because I am often so tired that I procrastinate for hours, even though it only takes 5-15 minutes.

I love learning about pop culture, especially when I can’t relate to it. For a few years I have heard about Justin Bieber. But I had no idea how big he is: He has over 30 million followers on Twitter, and he was named by Forbes Magazine in 2012 as the third most powerful celebrity in the world. He also did a music video that has over 800 million views!!!

Anyway who cares about that on this site. He recently sent out a photo of his abs, and that is what is really important…right?

This is too cute. Iras of the world, UNITE! Especially if you love your abs. This is the fake cover of an Onion magazine that has no inside pages. And those abs wouldn’t impress anyone. I prefer Amy’s abs from yesterday. And that’s why the Onion is often so funny…

Ira Glass is the host and executive producer of a radio/TV show called This American Life. Ira started working in public radio in 1978, when he was 19, as an intern at NPR’s headquarters in DC. Over the next 17 years, he worked on nearly every NPR news show and did nearly every production job they had: tape-cutter, desk assistant, newscast writer, editor, producer, reporter, and substitute host. He spent a year in a high school for NPR, and a year in an elementary school, filing stories for All Things Considered. He moved to Chicago in 1989 and put This American Life on the air in 1995.

I mentioned yesterday a young woman I met at the Tough Mudder who stood out with her red hair and teal-colored top. Amy Serfass is a fitness trainer who is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the Australian Institute of Fitness. “My specialty is women and weight loss, specifically running boot camps for women.” Visit her web site here .

I found this fabulous photo of her on facebook, where her friend Megan said, “you could prob hold those rocks up in the background with your abs.” Hopefully she will write an article describing her activities and fitness routines. Sure looks like a lot is working just fine…